ANTHONY EDWARDS on playing against (and with) KEVIN DURANT, T-Wolves emergence & more | Yahoo Sports

ANTHONY EDWARDS on playing against (and with) KEVIN DURANT, T-Wolves emergence & more | Yahoo Sports

here with Anthony and I had KD here yesterday and he talked about that first round series that you guys had and he said he respected you before that but he gained so much more respect for you and how you thought the game and how you played the game did you notice that what does that mean to you because you spoke about KD so highly just earlier today uh I mean that means a lot I mean because he’s my favorite player um but I mean I started to see it as as the series went on like uh I would make plays and he’ll look at me and be like like I make reads to the corner like the right play and he he looked like surprised I’m like bro this what I do you know what I mean but n it was cool he he said from a pure hoop standpoint like that’s what he appreciated he just said I couldn’t fight back cuz we was getting swept you know what I mean like like what is just that respect from players like that not just KD but I’m sure a lot of the league saw that that you’re not just a player who has highlights but you’re making winning plays for a winning team um it means a lot I mean cuz a lot of people probably just think like I dunk the ball like you know what I mean cuz that’s what’s always on the TV but like if you watch me play like I’m really a Hooper like I Get Buckets like I can shoot it I can pass I can defend I can do all the things that all the other dudes can do so I think um that means a lot now on this team you’re one of the young guys actually Tyrese told us yesterday if anybody’s gonna be doing rookie duties it would be you and I was like I don’t think ant is gonna be doing n yeah I won’t be doing nothing like that yeah but just just from a standpoint of being on this historic team like this could be the Dream Team you know 20 years from now right what does that mean to you that you’re here and that you can make a even bigger name for yourself uh it means a lot um you know playing alongside uh Steph uh Brun and KD um all we all our all the rest of us got to do is just find a way to fit in you know defend you know do all the right things to to stay on the court and I think we’ll win now some of these practices I don’t know if you know the history but some of these practices what whether it was like the Dream Team or the redeemed team or whatever it was those practices kind of showed who the alpha was who was like the number one guy of the number one guy do you see that as an opportunity to kind of stake a claim for yourself even on a bigger stage than the playoffs because you’re practicing with these dudes every day and you’re around these dudes every day uh yeah for sure um 100% but I I think in the game too like you know what I mean I think I I rather do it against against the the the world the do it versus my teammates but yeah that’s definitely a staple you’ll try to do that you know set a tone um but I mean I would rather do it versus those guys they said uh bam said that a few minutes ago he’s like Anish this himself he’s going to be who whoever he is at that moment he’s not going to change explain to people what that’s like for you because people who don’t know you don’t know that this is what you’re like all the time that this is not a switch that you just flip on or off oh hell yeah uh that’s just who I am uh I can’t change in in any moment uh I can’t be somebody I’m not I’m going to be myself I’m going to have a good time we going to laugh and you know we going to kick it that’s all we going to do now the USA right now like I said you’re one of the young guys a lot of the standards are older and they’re starting to age out so there’s an opportunity for someone to take the mantle to be like the best American player and and there’s other players who had that opportunity but haven’t seized it do you see that as an opportunity do you want that does that mean anything to you um I’m not yeah I’m that’s not something that I’m shooting for I’m just trying to win with Minnesota I don’t really care about all the other stuff but it’ be cool I mean you know to get an opportunity like that but it’s not something that like I’m stri like cats be striving for it I’m not really striving for it I’m I’m chilling if it happens it happens if it happens happen they going to take me for who I am but I just want to win with Minnesota now speaking of winning with Minnesota you guys beat Denver in the second round and you were asked about losing before you win and you said we’ve been losing ever since I got here how long do you want us to lose losing to Dallas in the next round was there a difference in the intensity a difference in what you expected how do you view one series to the next as far as just maturity and what it takes to win and playoffs I mean you can’t compare them every series is different um every team is different um the only thing they had in common was their both they they both was like offense driven um but one was a big one was a guard you know what I mean so Lucas just made every play he made every right play Kyrie had big games their bigs was 100% from the field every game dares Jones Jr was shooting out of his mind Josh Grant so I mean they was clicking at the right time so that’s just what happened how long does it take for a player like you to get over something like that you never been that far before yeah you guys open up a lot of eyes people respect you now you’re not just a team that people think is fun you’re a winning team but how long does it take someone as competitive as you to wash that aware or does that still stick with you right now watch like the loss in the west comes F yeah it’s gone I mean I can’t do nothing about it I can’t go back and replay it it’s over uh we lost um all I’m thinking about is now is like we going to get is we going if we get back there what we going to do you know what I mean so yeah that’s it’s over with it doesn’t you know most people say they use that as a motivating factor they be lying you motivated when you lose You’re motivated I mean if you don’t Lo if you lose and you’re not motivated it’s a problem so of course they’re going to say they use that so ask them do they do they use any loss within the 82 games as a motivating factor you know what I mean so that’s I feel like that’s cap you should always be motivated to get better and come back better so now with where Minnesota is the Western Conference looks a little bit different teams are loading up Dallas loaded up getting Klay Thompson you guys trying to shift some pieces around what do you think you guys fit going into next season what do I think we fit yeah as far as um I mean of course Denver um OKC um Dallas they gonna be good uh who else New Orleans gonna be good I think San Antonio gonna be good this year Sacramento will be good Golden State I mean it’s a lot of teams I mean we trying to fit wherever we going to fit at we we ain’t tripping where we get we just trying to get in the playoffs I mean playoffs are not the goal anymore yeah I’m saying we just got to get there yeah long as we get there we’ll figure everything else out N A lot of people use this Olympic stage as a springboard to the next year you know what I mean like Dwayne Wade used this in ‘ 08 to really hit the ground Runner the next year I almost had an MVP year do you look at this sort of the same way that you can just carry all the momentum from the Sun into next season back even from you know last year yeah I was about to say it’s all domino effect last year then my NBA season and this year then my next NBA season hopefully it goes the same way what’s the next evolution of your game what do you have what do you have to get better at just be more efficient just I mean it’s nothing nobody can do it’s just I just got to make shots it’s about if you make shot make shots or make shots at this point now one of I talked to one of your guys earlier today and he said ant is making moves in the business business World he’s becoming more basketball outside of basketball interest what does that mean to you to dip your toe you know in in that world I mean I’mma stop dribbling one day I mean so I gotta either I was either I was going to start early or I was going to start late and you don’t want to start too late so I mean I got a good group of guys around me that make sure that I make the right uh Investments the right the Right Moves um they come to me my manager Justin he does a great job so I mean it was only right to start early what do you like doing outside of the game people know you as ant Edwards ant with the dogs ant you know on the floor what is ant the human being what does that um I like helping out single mothers okay yeah I think that’s big for me um I think that’s the main thing that I like to do you starting something that initiative that helps out in that yeah for sure I got a don’t follow the wave campaign I mean I got a lot of things going on but yeah so what are you looking last thing what are you looking most forward to out of the next you know four or five weeks as you go through the tour and then you go to Paris like what’s the most thing whether it’s hanging with certain players getting to know them what’s the number one thing that you’re looking forward to doing playing alongside KD that’s the only thing I’m looking to do you he means that much to you that is my favorite player of all time so I played against him but I would play with him yeah I want to see the Olympic KD I be watching him on TV when he make all the shots in the Olympics it’s time for me to see see I want to watch it from the bench now why you you can’t be on the floor whatever it is if I’m on the floor on the bench however it is I want to watch him win us a game so I lied last thing everybody has to sacrifice you know here but there are going to be moments where someone’s going to have to take the ball take these critical plays and critical shots I’m assuming you’re going to be on the floor are you going to go to Steve Cur and say give me the ball if KD on the floor anybody’s on the floor no I let KD shoot it yeah I’ll let K KD Steph Brun yeah they can shoot it I mean I’ll just be out there to play defense if they need me to shoot though trust me I’m I got I got it all I’m I’m here for it I’ll shoot every last one of them oh man appreciate you man yes sir

Yahoo Sports senior NBA reporter Vincent Goodwill sat down with the Timberwolves’ young star at USA Basketball men’s national team camp in Las Vegas to discuss Minnesota’s emergence this season, playing against (and now with) his favorite player Kevin Durant and his growing work off the court. Thanks for watching! Subscribe to the Yahoo Sports channel here ► http://bit.ly/YSportsYT

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